Soviet Sub Patrols Moved From U.s. To Europe

March 13, 1988|The New York Times

WASHINGTON -- The Soviet Union has recently stopped sending Yankee-class nuclear missile submarines to patrol off the Atlantic coast of the United States, diverting them to European waters instead, according to the U.S. director of naval intelligence.

The move appears to be aimed at compensating for the loss of land-based SS-20 medium-range nuclear missiles targeted against Europe, Rear Adm. William O. Studeman told the House Armed Services seapower subcommittee. Those missiles are to be destroyed under terms of the new arms control agreement signed by the United States and the Soviet Union.

Studeman`s testimony, presented at a closed hearing March 1, was released later by the Pentagon.

While the admiral said the shift in submarine operations would leave the strategic balance between the United States and the Soviet Union ``essentially unchanged,`` it represents the first concrete sign of how the Soviet Union will adjust its nuclear forces once the treaty takes effect.

In an interview on Wednesday in Belgium, the Atlantic alliance`s top commander, Gen. John R. Galvin, said Soviet moves to reorganize its missile forces had been expected and did not violate the arms control treaty.

The United States is expected to compensate in similar ways for the elimination of medium-range missiles from Europe by shifting other weapons to cover important targets.

Without providing details, Galvin, who is an American, said the Soviet Union would take missiles ``that were aimed in another direction and aim them toward Western Europe.``

Studeman said the Soviet Union could continue to aim nuclear weapons at European targets by relying on the Yankee submarines, and by deploying cruise missiles on ships and submarines in waters near Europe. The designation ``Yankee`` and other names for Soviet vessels are those listed by NATO, not the Soviet Union.

``Yankee submarines have not patrolled off the U.S. coasts since late 1987,`` Studeman said. He said they instead are patrolling in waters near Europe.

The Soviet Union usually keeps two or three Yankee submarines, which are among its oldest missile-carrying vessels, operating in the Atlantic, about 1,000 miles or more from the United States. In October 1986, one of the submarines caught fire and sank in the operating area, where they are closely tracked by American forces.

Each Yankee submarine can carry 16 nuclear-tipped SS-N-6 missiles.

The admiral noted that the missiles, with a range of up to 1,800 miles, can reach European targets ``while alongside their piers.``

But, if another arms control treaty sharply cutting the numbers of long- range nuclear missiles is signed, the Yankees probably would be retired. Under a proposed agreement, the Russians would probably reduce the number of its missile-carrying submarines from its level of 63 to somewhere between 14 and 34 submarines, he said.

The Soviet Union has been steadily modernizing its fleet of missile- carrying submarines, and has newer vessels carrying more capable missiles with which to cover targets in the United States, according to the Pentagon.

The admiral said the Pentagon believes the Soviet navy this year began deployment of a new submarine-launched cruise missile, the SS-N-21, which is thought to have a range of 1,800 miles.